LIMAY: President Ferdinand ‘Bongbong’ Marcos, Jr. on Friday recognised steep food prices as the “biggest problem” Filipinos faced and vowed to open more Kadiwa stores that would offer cheaper farm products.
Marcos attributed the problem to the country’s reliance on imports and its long-time neglect of the agriculture sector.
“We know that at present, that is the biggest challenge we are all facing, the prices of goods keep increasing. This became a problem because we depended too much on importation that we neglected our agriculture, leading to low production from our local farmers,” said Marcos, who concurrently heads the agriculture department, in a speech.
Inflation slightly eased to 8.6 percent in February from 8.7 percent the previous month.
Inflation is expected to ease back below 4 percent later this year on a month-on-month basis, according to government estimates. The average, however, is seen to revert to within the 2 to 4 percent target by 2024.
In the meantime, the government offers cheaper food products in Kadiwa stalls by shouldering transportation and packaging costs, among others.
Some 300 Kadiwa stalls are “viable and operational” across the country, Marcos noted.
“The challenge is expanding Kadiwa stores to more areas. The rice, sugar, and onions they sell run out quickly. This is why we should really improve our production,” he said.
In a chance interview, Agriculture Assistant Secretary Kristine Evangelista said they would try establishing more Kadiwa stores in partnership with local government units and the trade department.
“It should be accessible to our consumers. We are identifying areas where the products will come from,” Evangelista told reporters.
Bongbong promised supporters here to work harder and uplift their lives so they would no longer need any financial assistance.
In his speech during the Department of Social Welfare and Development’s (DSWD) distribution of various government assistance, Marcos told the audience clad in red and green that he would not forget the support they showed him in last year’s elections.
“Ang aking laging sasabihin sa inyo ay hindi namin makakalimutan, lahat po kami na mga kandidato na sinuportahan ninyo lalung-lalo na ako, si Inday Sara na nakita naman ninyo napakaganda ng suporta dahil sa inyo. Kaya’t ang isusukli po namin sa inyo ay walang tigil na trabaho upang gawing mas maganda ang buhay ng bawat Pilipino,” Marcos said.
“Sana naman ay darating na tayo sa sitwasyon na lahat kayo ay my hanapbuhay na, may pinagkakikitaan, at sasabihin ninyo sa amin hindi na namin kailangan yan dahil meron na kaming pinagkikitaan, meron na kaming hanapbuhay. yan po ang hangarin natin,” he added.
“Ito po ang ating pinaguusapan nung halalan, ito na ang pagkakataon natin upang gawing totoo ang pangarap natin para sa Pilipinas.”
During the event, the DSWD distributed food packs and P5,000 each to 1,000 beneficiaries under the Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situation. The trade department, meanwhile, gave P10.9 million checks from the Small Business Corporation to 44 beneficiaries.
The labour department, for its part, distributed P350,000 worth of financial assistance to students under the Special Program for Employment of Students and “Nego-Kart” worth P205,000 to 10 beneficiaries.
During the May 2022 elections, President Marcos and his running-mate Vice President Sara Duterte won in the province, with 334,642 and 286,358 votes respectively.
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